It Can Happen to You

I hear stories from people all of the time about how they got taken advantage of online. A lot of times, I just wonder how anyone could be so gullible as to fall for phishing scams and the like. They say, “so I gave them my credit card number and social security,” and I’m thinking, “Oh, lady, really?”

A lot of people don’t really grasp how dangerous the internet is for them. They know how to get online and buy stuff. They might even know how to chat and download songs. But they only know enough to get themselves into bad situations.

The only time that I never, ever feel that way is when someone comes to me with a clickjacking complaint.

They always seem befuddled. They just want to know what they did wrong so that they can avoid making the same mistake in the future. The problem is that most of them hadn’t done anything wrong. They were being as careful as any reasonable person can be. I wish I had better things to tell them than use NoScript, update your browser, and keep an eye out for suspicious stuff.

If you contact a computer security consultant about a clickjack attack, then you’re probably someone who knows more about computers than the average person. Otherwise, I doubt that you’d even recognize the warning signs.

It really makes me sad to hear these stories because I know that they can happen to anyone. Even when you try to protect yourself, there’s always a risk out there. You click on the wrong link, and next thing you know some criminal begins compiling bits of information about you. It’s a scary though.

Many companies are working on solutions to prevent cybercriminals from using clickjacking attacks. And I think that they’ve done a really good job so far. Sure, there are cracks in every security software. Over time, though, we will fill those cracks, look for new ones, and fill those in too.

It’s a never ending battle against the black hats and white hats. The majority of us are just stuck in the middle, using what little insider information that we have to keep our computers safe.